Player: ILB Patrick Queen
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: Normally I would start with the biggest name, QB Russell Wilson, but we’re not writing as much about Patrick Queen. The former Raven, whose fifth-year option they declined, is now the every-down linebacker for the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. He said in his opening press conference that he’s ready to be the villain for defecting to the enemy. But the Steelers proved their willingness to pay him, while the Ravens paid another linebacker.
Veteran ILB Patrick Queen officially signed his contract yesterday with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The deal is reportedly worth $41 million over three years, the largest outside free agent contract in team history. Notably, it does not include any fully guaranteed money beyond the first season. The Steelers are one of few teams still resisting this practice, which they’ve never done for an outside free agent.
Whatever the numbers look like, he’s in Pittsburgh for presumably the next three seasons and has the potential to take over. The inside linebacker position has been a revolving door since Ryan Shazier’s career-ending injury, a subject for another article.
While he earned second-team All-Pro status last year, Queen still doesn’t get the recognition as an elite player. Part of the reason for that is the fact that he played next to one. In Pittsburgh, he has the opportunity to climb out of Roquan Smith’s shadow and prove he’s his own man.
Queen recorded 133 tackles last season with 9 for loss and 3.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. Over his four-year career, he has four interceptions and five forced fumbles. His career 39 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks show the dynamics of his game.
Contrary to earlier in his career, Queen has hardly come off the field the past two seasons. He’s logged roughly 2,150 snaps during that span, and he’s never missed a game due to injury. With 67 career starts and still 24 years old, his future is very bright future with upside married to experience. The only thing that doesn’t make him the prototypical Steelers free agent signing is the price tag.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
